Thursday, March 17, 2011

Day 1 SXSW 2011

Young Man at The Parish

My day one kind of started off slowly because I neglected to pick up my Fader Fort wristband on Tuesday and spent the better part of the day standing in line for the damn thing.  We did get to hear some of Toro y Moi and Jonquil while standing in the ridiculously long line.  (Note to Fader Fort:  Get a better system next year.  5 people doing RSVP's for thousands of people = 2 hour wait time).  As my friend Brandi said:  "After that 2 hour wait, Jesus had better be the surprise guest." 
After procuring our wristbands, I really needed a beer.  We headed over to the Flavorpill/Musebox party over at Lipstick 24.  There we saw electronic outfit Oh Land and Pitchfork darlings Nite Jewel.  We headed next door to Eventbrite's Empire Garage party where we should have been the whole time.  We caught the tail end of Braids' set.  It sounded wonderful.  Next up was Jukebox the Ghost, who also sounded great.  There we basked in the sunshine and sipped our free Dos Equis. 
We headed over to the Paste party to see Sondre Lerche but were discouraged by the long line.  After the Fort, I decided that I wouldn't wait in any more long lines that day.  Luckily, there will be other opportunities to check out Sondre.  We got to the New Zealand party and barely missed Liam Finn.  Boo.  But we did get to see The Naked and the Famous.  Their infectious rhythms were just what was needed to kick into night mode. 
After a much needed food break at the Whip In, we headed back downtown again.  Our first stop was the Parish, where we were treated to a set by Young Man, a group of strapping young lads.  To me, they sounded like a cross between Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah and Starsailor.  The stifling heat in the Parish (and the need to smoke a cigarette) brought us out into the street.  We decided to skip the Antlers (I plan on seeing them today at the NPR showcase) and head over to the Spill to catch some of the Dears.  Wow.  I have been a fan of the Dears for awhile, but wasn't crazy about their last album.  The material off of this album sounded great.  Singer Murray Lightburn and company exuded a frenetic energy that permeated the club with a frenzied, ecstatic vibe.  I will definitely be catching another show of the band before South by ends. 
We hightailed it down to Red River to catch Tennis and Yuck at Club Deville.  Unfortunately, we got there too late to see Tennis, another band that I intend to catch this week.  Yuck were amazing.  It was a nineties rock revival complete with soaring, fuzzed-out guitars and catchy pop drenched melodies.  On our way back to the car, we heard Duran Duran belting out "Girls on Film" from Stubbs.  It would have been a great show to see, but I didn't want to spend the entire night at Stubb's (although the lineup was great).  As I have said before, I love the nomadic experience of SXSW. 
My feet already hurt.  On today's agenda?
Wye Oak at the IFC House, The Antlers at the NPR Day show, City and Colour, Atlas Sound at Flamingo, Smith Westerns at East Side Drive-In, and The Strokes!  I'm sure things will get changed around a bit, but I fully intend on seeing the Strokes at Auditorium Shores. 

Monday, March 14, 2011

Brooklyn Vegan Saturday party!




Brooklyn Vegan have announced the details for their Saturday day party at Barbarella and Swan Dive. For this party they joined forces with M for Montreal to present a stellar lineup with tasty treats too!

Check out full lineup here.


- Alison Willis

Bon Iver at Fader Fort!


Bon Iver will appear Saturday night at the Fader Fort with former bandmates/friends Megafaun. The Fort says it will be a "Bon Iver/Megafaun/Deyarmond Edison collaboration."
Deyarmond Edison is the former band that included Justin Vernon and members of Megafaun.
More info here.

- Alison Willis

Brooklyn Vegan friday party


Here is another awesome party put on by Brooklyn Vegan.  This is one of the three-day, multi-stage parties that BV is putting on at connecting venues Barbarella and Swan Dive.  The Saturday party hasn't been announced yet. 

More info here.

Brooklyn Vegan announce ninth party.



The prolific folks over at Brooklyn Vegan have announced their ninth SXSW party.  That's right, they are sponsoring nine parties at SXSW this year.  As usual, the parties feature an eclectic mix of bands, this one included.  There is no RSVP.  Just show up early to guarantee entrance.  There will be free breakfast tacos (while supplies last), some free booze & other tasty snacks.

Get more info + the lineup here.

Perez Hilton RSVP up.

Perez with Snoop Dogg


Check it, yo.  Perez Hilton RSVP is up.  Do it now and see if you can win entrance into his party on Saturday night at ACL Live.  He always has a killer, albeit interesting, lineup.  Last year, Kanye West made a surprise appearance.  Do it!

RSVP

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Forest Family x Transparency Party



Forest Family Records (co-owned by Chris Cantilini of Gorilla v Bear) have announced their party.  It kicks off Thursday, March 17th at 1pm and goes until midnight.  The lineup looks delightful and there will be free St. Arnold's beer.  I love the parties that feature tasty craft beer (extra points if it's local)! 

Details and RSVP info here.

Kanye West SXSW appearance confirmed!

Well, it looks like the rumors are true.  Kanye West will play the VEVO party at the Seaholm Power Plant on Saturday night at 11:59 pm.  VEVO will announce the details soon.  Once again, getting there early would be beneficial if you hope to get in to this show. 

Here is the video that VEVO posted earlier today:

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Fader Fort Lineup Announced!

The Fader Fort lineup has been announced, and it's a killer.  If you haven't RSVP'd, get on it!  You can't miss this one. 

Check out the lineup: 

Mess With Texas Party



The lineup for this one is amazing and it's at the killer new venue East Side Drive-In.  The set times are TBA.  
Don't miss it.  You can RSVP here.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The Austin Imposition II



Impose Magazine is putting on a 5-show extravaganza throughout the music portion of South by Southwest.  By the looks of the poster, the lineup is pretty damn impressive.  Locations and set times are TBA.  But you might as well RSVP right now. 

Kanye West SXSW Appearance?!

According to the Austin Chronicle, "Definitive sources have confirmed that Kanye West is appearing at Vevo's unofficial after-hours party at the Seaholm Electric Plant on Saturday, March 19th...." 
Hmmmm.  Methinks I need to get down there early if I want to bear witness to this once-in-a-lifetime moment.  My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy, Mr. West's magnum opus, was probably my favorite album of last year. 

Check out Kanye's new video for "All of the Lights."

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

MOG Party at the Mohawk


The MOG party at the Mohawk on Sat. March 19th is off the chain. The lineup includes TV On The Radio, Big Boi, Yuck, Wild Flag and a ton more.
The event is free (which means no RSVP), but, I suggest getting there early if you want to get in. With a lineup like this, the venue is sure to reach capacity early on.
You can check out the full lineup (no set times yet) and get more info here.



- Alison Willis

Fader Fort RSVP Announced!


The Fader Fort, the mother of all SXSW parties, has opened up their RSVP. You don't want to miss out on this party, which always features a stellar lineup and free booze. The full lineup hasn't been revealed, but some of the "leaked" artists include soul crooner Raphael Sadiq, Twin Shadow, Matt & Kim, and many more. So what are you waiting for? Mosey on over to their site to RSVP!


- Alison Willis

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

DC Does Texas & Dogfish Head Beer!



Thanks to Ultra8201 for the heads up on this one.  Free (good) beer courtesy of Dogfish Head.  None of that yellow fizzy stuff here.  You can get more information about the bands playing here.